With regard/regards to?

With regard/regards to?
 

...decisions with regard / regards (to?) their international recognition.

Are regard and regards interchangeable? Is "to" needed in this sentence?

Thanks. :)

Yes, they are interchangeable, and the 'to' is absolutely essential.

You could also say 'regarding their international recognition...' but this would have to start the clause. :)

So, I couldn't say:

...decisions regarding their international recognition. :thinking:

Thank you. :) :rose:

Well, perhaps you could, but I don't think it is very good. I would say

....decisions relating to their..
....decisions connected with their...

Perhaps it is just taste :thinking:

I think so: "decisions regarding their recognition" sounds fine to me.

Only with regard to, never with regards to, regards in the plural is saludos.

That is not what a native English speaker said: :)

According to a few places I checked, 'with regards to' is substandard usage. 'With regard to' is the proper phrase. 'As regards' means the same thing as 'with regard to', and 'with regards to' could simply be a mixing of the two phrases.

'Regarding' and 'concerning' are also widely accepted alternatives.

http://www.englishforums.com/English...cxdxc/post.htm
http://www.vocaboly.com/forums/ftopic379.html
http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic2044.html

But that´s what an expert said in a book, sometimes native speakers are wrong like you and me in Spanish.

That's because the native speaker actually misread the original question and wasn't thinking clearly. :dancingman::dancingman: (I didn't take the 'with' as part of the second option, but got it wrong anyway)

How about in regard to and
in regards to?
I certainly use this more that with regard to. I believe in regard and in regards are are interchangable like towards and toward. I prefer in regard to in regards, but I think they are both OK.